Argentina get off the mark

A first half goal from Guido Rodriguez, his first in 11 international appearances, gave Argentina a 1-0 win over Uruguay in a leaden Copa America clash on Friday.

The Real Betis midfielder started for his country for the first time since June 2019 and he justified that decision when he converted a cross from Lionel Messi after 10 minutes.

After the game, an elated Lionel Messi reacted and pointed out the importance of the win and the fact that there is finally some peace of mind, but he also cautioned his teammates of complacency and there is a long way to go.

"Come on!!! It was important to win today. This will give us peace of mind for what is coming will continue to be hard," tweeted an elated Messi after their win.

"We've lacked a bit of luck to get victories (recently)," said Argentina's second half substitute Angel Di Maria. "Today we managed to do that against a direct rival who are always contenders for the Copa America."

"Brazil are the best team (so far)," he added. "We're taking it step by step and the dream is alive, I hope we can make it come true. Argentina are always a candidate (for the title) but Brazil are at home and are doing things very well."

Argentina's next game is against Paraguay on Tuesday 6am (Bangladesh Time) while Brazil will meet Colombia in their next match on Thursday at 6am (Bangladesh Time).

HIGHLIGHTS

* The result extended Argentina's unbeaten run to 15 games since they lost in the semi-final of the last Copa America in 2019.

* Argentina are now undefeated in 5 games against Uruguay in the Copa America (4 wins, 1 draw). Uruguay's last win was 2-0 in the 1989 edition.

* With this important win Argentina move on to 4 points to sit joint top with Chile in Group A. Brazil are leading Group B with maximum six points and Colombia are in second position with four points. The top four teams of each group will advance to the knockout stages of the 10-team competition.